College Not for You? Check Out Certification

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DANTESBy Tim Zernick

Earning certification in a career field can be as satisfying as earning a college degree. Certification is the key link between Servicemembers' training and experience, and it translates military qualifications into civilian terms. Becoming certified is a great way to demonstrate initiative, responsibility and allows servicemembers to exhibit the depth of their knowledge in their career field. Expertise is indicative of performance and leads to better decision making.

Many services are working to close the gap between military qualifications and professional certifications. This is a major step toward validating the professionalism of our military forces and clarifying the importance of our training and experience.

It also helps them take steps toward earning a professional certification.

I especially applaud the Navy's effort to provide training and funding to help Sailors earn credentials. I expect the Navy will see a huge return in mission proficiency for their efforts.

I encourage servicemembers to earn professional credentials. These credentials enhance the reputation of our training and qualification programs and exemplify the adeptness of servicemembers.

I encourage education offices to include credentialing in counseling sessions and invite pertinent credentialing agencies to education fairs.

Often, the link to several trade credentials is as close as the local community college. DANTES offers many services to help with certification, including approximately 80 agreements with nationally-recognized certification and licensure associations.

These agreements allow DANTES Test Sites to administer the majority of their certification and licensure exams, providing convenience and accessibility to Servicemembers.

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at www.benefits.va.gov/gibill